Union need extra time to top City Islanders

CHESTER — The chants from the River End, as an interminable second half wore on toward an equally excruciating extra time session, exhorted the Philadelphia Union players to “shoot the blanking ball!”

Eventually the message got through, though it took extra time for the Union to scrape by against a developmental affiliate two tiers below it in the American soccer pyramid.

Andrew Wenger’s goal in the 110th minute sealed matters, giving the Union a 3-1 win over Harrisburg City Islanders in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

It took a goal from Maurice Edu in the 89th minute to send the teams to extra time and prevent the Union from the latest installment of rock bottom in a season of stunning disappointments. Wenger added an additional tally in the 117th minute to embellish the scoreline.

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The Union advance to play the New York Cosmos next Tuesday in the fifth round at PPL Park.

Harrisburg had taken the lead in the 38th minute on a — stop me if you’ve heard this before — corner-kick goal by Jason Pelletier, and the Islanders looked in control for most of the game until Edu’s breakthrough.

If there was any inclination that Tuesday’s game would serve as an audition for playing time under new manager Jim Curtin, the message certainly didn’t filter down to the players in a comatose performance for the first 80-some minutes that was ineffective and bordering on embarrassing.

This was against a Harrisburg City side that isn’t just the Union’s developmental side, separated by two tiers from MLS in the USL Pro Division. This wasn’t even close the best Islanders side coach Bill Becher is capable of fielding, the side that at full strength is near the bottom of USL Pro with a 3-6-3 record.

It was a Harrisburg City side starting its backup goalkeeper in Brian Sylvestre, who played more like the No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick than the goalie on the other side of the pitch, producing 12 saves, several of the show-stopping variety. A Harrisburg side that was missing four regulars in Jimmy McLaughlin, Cristhian Hernandez, Richie Marquez and Pedro Ribeiro who belong to the Union and were, per an agreement with the Union staff, not to be used against the parent club. A Harrisburg side that was without several other injured players to the extent that they could only muster a four-person bench for the trip.

In other words, not the most auspicious of starts for Curtin in his managerial debut after taking over for John Hackworth on an interim basis last week.

Then again, Curtin’s debut starting XI was about as uninspired as the performance it fostered. Against what on paper was a distinctly inferior Harrisburg side, Curtin opted to do whatever the opposite of throwing caution to the wind is. He concocted a conservative midfield with two holding midfielders in Brian Carroll and Michael Lahoud, then kept them together on the pitch for the first 69 minutes while chasing a goal, deciding against a more attacking posture.

Though in Curtin’s defense, while the rest of his team sleepwalked, those two provided two of the better chances at a breakthrough in the first 80 minutes. Carroll, who scored the game-winner in the fourth-round win over Ocean City last year, blistered a shot wide from the top of the 18-yard box in the 63rd minute. A minute later, Lahoud produced a fine diving save from Sylvestre from 22 yards out.

Sylvestre also got his body in the way of a Sebastien Le Toux effort in the 83rd minute and got his fists to a curling free kick by Le Toux a minute later as the Union poured forward less than convincingly in search of an equalizer.

That was despite 12 corner kicks in the 90 minutes, 16 in all, the shoddy execution of which produced not so much as a memorable look at goal much less a potent scoring chance.

It wasn’t until Edu awakened them in the 89th minute that the team showed anything resembling spunk or attacking verve. After a good move started by Antoine Hoppenot, Edu settled, then turned in a squared ball by Le Toux to get the teams level.

The Union had several excellent chances afterward, including a dipping drive from distance by Sheanon Williams that Sylvestre pawed away. Sylvestre also produced a phenomenal double save, getting in front of a header by Leo Fernandes in the middle of the box, then getting his body in front of the follow by Wenger to keep the game scoreless.

Among the other curiosities in Curtin’s first side was the implementation of Edu in central defense for the first time as a Union player and No. 1 overall pick Andre Blake making his club debut between the posts. That didn’t stop the Union from continuing its wasteful ways in defense in the 38th minute, conceding on a set piece for the umpteenth time this season.

A corner kick by Danny DiPrima was met by the wide open head of defender Coady Andrews. Blake did well to dive to keep Andrews effort out, but no one was left to deal with Pelletier, who swept in the rebound unmolested.